


Heart of Gold

by anotherblight (orphan_account)



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Past Abuse, Polyamory, Switchblades and Gym Class AU, sbgc au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-03
Updated: 2016-08-03
Packaged: 2018-07-29 00:46:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7663687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/anotherblight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Crumpled cardboard had been wedged between the recycle bins in the backyard. Boxes of forgotten clothes were stacked just outside the front door awaiting a trip to the Goodwill downtown.<br/>Bruce called for a break once they had gotten through the boxes of clothes."</p><p>A sequel to Turning Dust Into Gold</p>
            </blockquote>





	Heart of Gold

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted here: http://mikewazowskitakesafall2008.tumblr.com/post/140919967593/heart-of-gold-words-1491-warnings

Crumpled cardboard had been wedged between the recycle bins in the backyard. Boxes of forgotten clothes were stacked just outside the front door awaiting a trip to the Goodwill downtown.

Bruce called for a break once they had gotten through the boxes of clothes. 

Some of Adam’s father’s formal wear was now neatly folded in a box of its own at the back of the master bedroom closet. (‘ _I’m sure they’ll come in handy eventually Adam’_ ). A single wool sweater was saved by Adam for his own wardrobe, a deep maroon that was his fathers - and his grandfathers before that. Most of his father’s clothes didn’t fit properly and may never fit just right.

Adam wasn’t grieving the loss of their clothes, most of which had already been forgotten.

He had offered clothes to the other boys but all of them turned down the offer, each not wanting to keep the clothes around if Adam himself didn’t want them.

There were still labelled boxes in the attic, ones that would be harder to organize. Cardboard that had been hastily marked with ‘photos’ and ‘Adam’s toys’. 

Most of the clothes were just fabric to Adam, making it easier to rid the house of them.

* * *

The single gold dress, a simple pair of pointed-white Mary Janes, and a pearl-tinted blouse were the only other clothes to be spared the Goodwill departure. Each were gathered on the rocking chair in the front room and hadn’t been moved since Adam’s tears had dried.

* * *

Bruce offered to take the boxes to the Goodwill before they move onto the rest of the attic. Matt joined the eldest in stuffing the cardboard into the trunk and backseat of the small beater before they were driving down the street and Adam was finally able to let go of another piece of his parents that was long overdue.

* * *

The sliding door in the kitchen was open when Adam returned. Sean and Joel sat in a patch of sunlight on the concrete slabs as Sean ran scarred fingers through deep black curls.

Adam was glad to have the warmth of the sun back. It allowed the house serine moments like the one of the two boys curled together outside. The pair reminded him of the cat he had when he was young, before it disappeared one day and he could no longer remember the pattern of its fur.  

 

He found Lawrence back in the front room fumbling with the hem of the gown.

 _‘I kept it for her y’know,_ ’ Adam spoke softly, ‘ _do you think she’ll like it?_ ’

Lawrence pondered Adam’s words for a while before responding.

_‘It’s beautiful, I don’t know if she’ll accept it as a gift thought.’_

_‘My mother was a small woman too…I just thought that because of everything she’s done…I don’t want just anyone to have the gown.’_

Adam cast his gaze out the large window trailing the line of young children racing back and forth on small bicycles.

 _‘I love you Lawrence…I love you all…and for a while there wasn’t much light or colour in my life. It was dull and then I found Bruce behind crumbling bones and slowly there were colours again, the red of sore knuckles and blood. Together Sean and Joel brought the purples and greens of bruises, as unfortunate as the introduction of each colour may have been. Matt brought the warm, curly Browns back. The colour of mud and the crisp auburn of tree bark. James brought endless blues with those wild eyes. And you Lawrence, you brought me a sharp black. And I know that sounds really awful because Bruce will tell you that black’s not really a colour. Before it was just a grey world and your black stands out against the rest. It’s a strong colour,_ ’ Adam chuckles as he scratches the back of his neck nervously, _‘I’ve been watching Bruce paint too much…It’s a strong colour that suits your strength.’_

Adam takes a step towards the towering figure but decides against invading Lawrence’s space.

_‘I didn’t have a mother anymore, none of us really did. Then you and James came into our lives and inevitably brought sunshine with you. I understand that it’s difficult for you some days when you don’t see her because of late shifts or early mornings. I’ve seen it in your eyes again today, you miss her. Your grief isn’t the same as mine, and I can respect that. I just want you to know that I appreciate that what little time you get with her you’ve shared it with us all. No one asked you to but you did it anyways. And I want to say thank you. She’s not my mom, but she’s pretty damn close to it, that’s why I want her to have it. To say thank you.’_

Adam couldn’t read Lawrence’s calm expression, he didn’t dare move closer allowing Lawrence the time to register the fact that Adam had practically handed him his heart. Lawrence knew how Adam felt about each of the boys through his actions but never through his own words.

The _‘I love you’_ wasn’t new, but the explanation was. At a brief loss for words Lawrence forces out the only thing he could manage, a simple question: _‘and the blouse and shoes?’_

Adam shrugs as he lets out a shaky laugh, _‘honestly, they were too nice to give away and I thought she might like them. If not we’ll just take them over to Goodwill later.’_

Lawrence’s hand falls away from the gown and he turns to look at Adam. His eyes trace the lines sprouting from the corners of Adams eyes to the misshapen black eyeliner that surrounds each.

 

The two stay staring at each other until the sound of the front door opening is audible over the heartbeats in their ears.

Adam is the first to look away to address Bruce as the boy kicks off his shoes.

_‘All good?’_

_‘Yeah, Matty and I just passed them over to the staff. Have you guys eaten yet? I was thinking of making lunch before we move onto the next set of boxes?’_

_‘Lunch sounds like a good plan,’_ Adam casts a final glance towards Lawrence before following after Bruce and Matt to the kitchen. A second later Matt returns with a confused look on his face.

 _‘James went to go take a nap,’_ Lawrence takes a guess at the questionable look he received from the smallest boyfriend. Matt nods and leaves once again, no doubt to go join James.

* * *

Lawrence offers to clean up after lunch to let the others enjoy more of the nice weather before they’re all chained inside for another couple hours.

Adam lights a cigarette that gets passed between the six boys in the yard.

Bruce sketches the birds that have returned for the season.

 

(Last Summer Adam had opened the door to be greeted by the Sherriff holding two finely crafted birdhouses. _‘Matt and I made these but we don’t have a good tree in our yard to hang them in. I thought you might like to have them. He tells me that you like gardening.’_ The Sheriff had helped Adam secure the houses to trees on opposite sides of the backyard. They shared few words over glasses of sweet tea before Sheriff Peake invited Adam to dinner that night. A BBQ with seven teenagers wasn’t how the Sheriff thought he’d be spending his summer evenings, but Matt was laughing and that was the only thing that mattered anymore.)

In a few weeks’ time Adam will be able to start gardening again. Meaning a trip to the greenhouse for all of them since no one ever wants to miss an opportunity to see Adam expertly navigate the large warehouse of garden supplies and plants. James will insist on getting a garden gnome even though it only ever lasts about a week before the ceramic gets smashed during a fight or by rival students.

* * *

Lawrence hadn’t spoken to Adam directly since the grandiose proclamation of love in the front room.

Adam seemed to understand that Lawrence needed to process the words carefully. If it had been anyone else they wouldn’t gather a response so carefully, but Lawrence was calculated. 

Lawrence, who so often had seemingly endless days of despair and hopelessness, overthought everything.

 _ **Black.**_ Adam had told him that _**his colour was black.**_ Not an outstanding blue like James or even a simple brown like Matt.

Lawrence had grown up believing that black was a bad colour because too much of it would ruin colours.

And Adam had unravelled that belief by explaining that too much black didn’t ruin colours, it overpowered them.

And for the first time, Lawrence understood how much he meant to Adam.


End file.
